List of Savannah State University alumni

This list of Savannah State University alumni includes graduates, non-graduate former students and current students of Georgia State Industrial College for Colored Youth, Georgia State College, Savannah State College, and/or Savannah State University. Notable administration, faculty, and staff are found on the list of Savannah State University faculty.

Savannah State University is a four-year, state-supported, historically black university (HBCU) located in Savannah, Georgia.^[1] The first baccalaureate degree was awarded in 1898.^[2] In 1928 the college became a full four-year degree-granting institution and removed the high school and normal school programs.^[2][3] In 1932 the school became a full member institution of the University System of Georgia.^[2][3]

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Academics

Name	Class year	Notability	Reference(s)
Charles Elmore		African-American scholar and jazz historian
George E. Kent	1941	Professor of literature (with a specialism in Afro-American literature)	[4]

Business

Name	Class year	Notability	Reference(s)
Jerome Miller	1975	Retired vice president for diversity and inclusion, Toyota Motor Inc; held other vice president and executive positions with the Coca-Cola Company, Delta Airlines, and TIAA	[5]

Politics and public service

Name	Class year	Notability	Reference(s)
Curtis Cooper		Savannah-area civil rights leader
Edna P. Jackson		Member of the National League of Cities board of directors and former Mayor of Savannah, Georgia	[6]
W. W. Law	1948	Civil rights leader and preservationist	[7]
Barbara J. Mobley	1969	Former member of the DeKalb County Georgia State Court bench, former member of the Georgia House of Representatives	[8]
Robert E. Robinson	1971	Civil rights attorney and member of the Savannah City Council

U.S. military services

Official U.S. Navy photo of Retired U.S. Navy Captain Donnie Cochran

Lieutenant General Walter E. Gaskin, United States Marine Corps

Name	Class year	Notability	Reference(s)
Annie B. Andrews	1983	Retired U.S. Navy rear admiral who served as the director of the Total Force Requirements Division (OPNAV N12); current assistant administrator for human resource management for the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration	[9][10]
Donnie Cochran	1976	Retired U.S. Navy captain, completed two tours with the United States Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels	[11]
Walter E. Gaskin	1971	Lieutenant general, U.S. Marine Corps; retired in 2013 at the rank of lieutenant general as the deputy chairman, NATO Committee in Brussels;reviously vice director, Joint Staff; in June 2006, became the commanding general of Marine Corps Second Division, making him the senior ranking active-duty African-American Marine and first African American to command a Marine Corps division	[12]
James E. Wright		Flight instructor for the World War II Tuskegee Airmen	[13]

Journalists and news media personalities

Name	Class year	Notability	Reference(s)
Kareem McMichael	2009	News content specialist (WTOC), actor and film producer	[14]
JaQuitta Williams	1993	Former anchor/reporter for WSB-TV, ABC affiliate in Atlanta, Georgia	[15]

Athletics

Name	Class year	Notability	Reference(s)
Steven Aycock	1993	Former head football coach at Johnson C. Smith University	[16]
Bobby Curtis	1987	Former National Football League player with the Washington Redskins and New York Jets	[17]
Roy Ellison	1987	National Football League official and umpire during Super Bowl XLIII	[18]
Troy Hambrick	2000	Former National Football League running back	[19]
Matt "Showbiz" Jackson	1983	Former member of the Harlem Globetrotters	[20]
Jessie Kenlaw	1975	Interim head coach of the WNBA's Washington Mystics; former assistant coach with the WNBA Seattle Storm and Washington Mystics	[21][22]
John Mathis	1967	Former American Basketball Association forward for the New Jersey Americans	[23]
Wesley McGriff	1990	Defensive backs coach and defensive recruiting coordinator for the Vanderbilt Commodores; former defensive backs coach for the Miami Hurricanes and former interim coach and defensive coordinator at Savannah State University	[24][25]
Ernest "The Cat" Miller		Former professional wrestler	[26]
Shannon Sharpe	1991	Former National Football League player; three-time Super Bowl champion; second to Tony Gonzalez for most receptions (815), receiving yards (10,060), and TD receptions (62) by a tight end in an NFL career; TV presenter, co-hosted Skip and Shannon: Undisputed with Skip Bayless; co-hosts ESPN First Take with Stephen A Smith and Molly Querim	[27][28][29]

See also

• Savannah State University alumni (category)